The Hades Wave 4.0
Title: Ad Astra Per Aspera
Rating: PG (for strong language)
Characters: Goliath, Demona, Demetrius Nightkind, Wren
Summers-Nightkind (Moirai), Jean Gray-Summers (Phoenix), Scott Summers
(Cyclops), Hank McCoy (Beast)
[Bracketed words indicate thought or psionic communication]
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN
GARGOYLES. THEY BELONG TO DISNEY. I DON'T OWN X-MEN. THEY BELONG TO MARVEL.
ALL ORIGINAL CHARACTERS BELONG TO THEIR DEITY, DENIGODDESS2001.
[I HATE FLYING! GOD, HOW I HATE FLYING.] The words chanted like a mantra in her head as the X-Men's Jet,
the Blackbird, used vertical take-off velocity and became airborne. Buckled in and sitting by her lover,
Demetrius, Wren felt ill at ease about the mission at hand. She simply felt ill. [Great, I'm getting airsick...just my bad
run of luck.]
Her queasy stomach competed for her attention along with her
growing terror. [We're about to break
into a government installation, steal several toxins, and try to not get
caught...yeah, right. I can't believe
we're doing this! I never should have
left Caledon Isle. When this is all
over, that damned Annulus is going back to Caledon. Hell, I'll take it back to Avalon if I have to! I've gotten myself into another fine
mess. I think I was better off when I
just thought I was going insane.]
She studied the others around her and studied them carefully. Goliath's face was set in a stern stone
grimace. His dark wings were cloaked around not unlike a judge's robe. Demona's gamine features were alive with
barely contained excitement. Wren
guessed that the Dame was enjoying every minute of the grand adventure.
Demetrius' serpentine tail twitched nervously as he grimaced. He seemed rather
attuned to Wren's immobilizing fear of flying. Hank seemed the calmest and most
serene of the bunch.
He returned her gaze and two arched blue brows rose in a silent
question. She shook her head and Wren
returned her attention to her costume.
The dark leather seemed stiff and rigid to her. It proved good protection, but was quite
uncomfortable. She secretly longed for the days of blue and yellow
spandex. She wrapped her cloak around
her. It was a part of her old costume back
in the days when the X-Men the brilliant primary colors for which they were so
well known. Even then, she preferred
the subtle hues of browns and greens compared to the brighter colors of yellow
and blue spandex preferred by her compatriots.
The cloak was nothing more than additional protection against attack and
the elements. However, Wren thought it
gave her a dash of excitement.
"All right, people."
Cyclops's voice cut into her reverie.
"Listen up. Phoenix,
Moirai, Goliath and Demona: I want you
to get in, get the mutagens and get out. Demetrius, Beast, and I will provide
the distraction. Stay low and stay
undercover. We don't need Mavericks
here. We need teamwork."
Wren fought the urge to give the overgrown Boy Scout a mock salute
and the response of "Ya, mein commandant." Instead, she opted for a brisk nod of confirmation. She let her hand travel to her chest where
she found her Comm badge. She knew it
functioned properly. Her other hand traveled
to the loop on her belt. She made
certain that her Annulus was in place.
She breathed a bit easier knowing she had some firepower behind her.
"All right, X-Men and Gargoyles, let's move." One by one each made their way from the
Blackbird. She stared at the rising
moon. She knew her metamorphosis was
soon at hand. It never quite hit at the
same time as Demetrius.' She thought it
odd that it didn't always occur at Sunset.
She felt the familiar tingle spread over her skin. She managed to utter the single word,
"Wait."
Scott and the others turned.
Tonight, it felt different: more intense. She looked high into the dark sky and saw the moon bright and
watchful over them. She felt her
fingers become slender talons. She felt
her temples and brow ache as the delicate horns penetrated her skin. Her bones ached as she felt the tail
struggle to make its way from the invulnerable material of her uniform. In one deft swoop, Wren's index talon ripped
a suitable hole and she pulled through her tail.
She saw the reaction of the other standing there. Goliath had never seen her go through the
change. He and the others seemed
stupefied by this latent transformation.
Only Demetrius and Demona seemed unaffected. "Okay, I'm sorry.
I'm a little slow tonight."
"Great, we've seen the sideshow, let's go." Cyclops barked. Wren threw him a glare at his poor choice of words. [Never mind, I'll deal with that issue
later.]
"Demona, can you provide some cover for us?"
"Not a problem." Came the smooth reply. Demona pulled forth a small tome that looked
unfamiliar. Its cover was deep red
leather with a brass spine. She flipped
briefly through the gold-leafed pages and planted one azure talon in the middle
of the page. "NEBULOSUS CELO OMNIS
PER HIC CATERVA."
[Fog, hide all in this group.]
The words translated themselves in Wren's mind. [Since when do Grimorum
Arcanorum spells come in the handy travel size?]
She nodded at the cleverness of Demona's choice of spell. Wren watched the summoned fog hide all in
the group. How she longed for the
ability to do more than alter luck and know archaic languages. [We can't all be dashing, dynamic
heroes. Some us have to make the best
of what we have.]
Low, thick clouds of haze and mist rolled in from gently increased
winds. Visibility quickly decreased to
less than twenty feet ahead. [This is
all well and good, but how are we supposed to see?]
"Everybody with wings, grab someone and let's move
in." Scott's voice cut through the
thick miasma. Two strong arms came
underneath Wren and scooped her to a powerful chest. She found herself staring into the lavender eyes of her dark
warrior. She instinctively wrapped her
arms around his neck as he caught an updraft and lifted them above the mist.
"That should foil their cameras for awhile." She whispered to him.
"Aye." He took
her hand in his and gave it a lingering squeeze. Wren said nothing but laid her cheek against his warm chest.
She thought she saw the razor wire and the chain link fence below
them, but Wren wasn't quite sure.
Shortly, Demetrius and the others landed. She noticed that Jean had used her telekinesis to levitate
herself over the fence. Demona had hold
of Cyclops. Goliath looked unusually
happy while holding Hank in his arms.
They landed easily on the soft grass on the other side of the fence.
"All right, I see the side door that we need to
enter." Scott motioned for the
others to follow him. As they moved
quickly through the dense mist, a ruby lattice of interweaving beams appeared
around and in front of them.
"Laser detection grid. Let's move above it." Scott focused his eyes upwards. "We don't have much time."
She watched the Gargoyles open their wings and catch the gentle
air stream. She felt her and Demetrius
taken aback a few feet. He and the
other winged warriors easily glided on the currents of wind only a few feet
above the ground. She dreaded the
moment when they'd be forced to part company to complete the mission. Every moment was precious.
Phoenix left the safety of the mist and vanished from sight. Shortly she returned and hovered before the
team leader. "Cyclops, there are security cameras on the outer perimeter
of the fog. There are too many for us
to dodge."
"Phoenix, take out as many as you can with your
telekinesis."
"Cyclops, I can take out quite a few with my
Annulus." Wren found herself
volunteering her services. " I just need a clear line of sight so I can
aim and fire."
"Fine, Demetrius and Moirai, move out with Phoenix beyond the
fog and take out as many cameras as you can."
"Understood."
Wren nodded. She still felt odd
being addressed by a codename she hadn't used in almost four years. Demetrius unfurled his wings and tilted
midair to catch a higher updraft. She
looked back at her mate as they made their way from the mist. "Hold me by the waist and keep me
steady. We only get one shot."
"Aye, Milady."
He spoke softly in her ear. She
bit her lip in trepidation.
Many times, she and Demetrius worked as one fluid entity in
combat. Yet, never had they attempted
such a complicated maneuver. Along the
lines of their empathic link, their sight and senses became of one mind. Their hands and wings became of a
synchronized body. She felt the cool
breeze against her skin. Carefully, she
wrapped her slender tail about her lover's waist for better support. He steadied her with his large hands
surrounding her waist. Wren withdrew
the gleaming Annulus from her belt.
[Okay, let's improve our odds.]
She focused her energy into the Annulus. In her mind's eyes, she envisioned the weapon of Oberon
ricocheting off every security camera and knocking each of them to the
ground. Her hand holding the bladed
circlet blazed brightly with emerald fire.
She drew back her arm and eyed her first target. The green glow encircled the Annulus. With silent prayer falling from unmoving
lips, Wren resolutely locked her gaze on the first camera and let the circlet
fly. She watched in mute satisfaction
as it sliced through the night air.
She heard the Annulus hit the base of the first security
camera. She saw amber sparks fly from where
the blade knocked the camera from its fastenings. It fell over to the side and dangled limply from some
cables. Wren clenched her fist and
pulled it to her as she whispered an exultant 'yes!' It bounced off the side wall of the building, a tree, and
ricocheted off the chain link fence. It
danced along the top of the razor wire for several feet and skipped off the
edge. It rolled along the ground like a
ball until it collided with a broken piece of concrete. That caused the Annulus to sail into the
darkness. It began falling and bounced
off the edge of the building. It
managed to take out one more camera twenty feet away from the original. It rebounded from a third and came back to
Wren's waiting hand.
"Nice shot."
Hank gave a polite theater clap.
"Bravo."
"Thank you, Sir."
[Maybe this mission won't go so badly after all.]
Phoenix's eyes glimmered brightly with crimson flame. An aura of the same hue surrounded several
of the security cameras throughout the area.
One by one, they fell limply to the sides. Other exploded while some crashed to the ground. "The path is clear, Cyclops."
They flew to the end of the building and landed outside the
door. Wren replaced the Annulus on her
belt and turned to Demetrius.
"Cloak me with your wings please."
"But, why, Milady?"
He wrapped his dark wings around her.
"Are you cold?"
"Uh, no. I'll explain
later." Wren stuttered while her
fingers fought the leather that had creased uncomfortablely on her
backside. [It's crawling up my-]
"Goliath and Demetrius, can you get us in?" Cyclops pointed to the side door.
"Not a problem."
"Wait!" Demona
stopped them. She let go of Hank and
leaned forward. "I've seen before
this particular model of security panel.
We might be able to bypass the security system."
"We don't have the time." Cyclops put a hand on hers to stop her.
"Human, take your hand off me if you wish it not to be
severed from your arm." Green eyes
glowed with crimson radiance. "The
minute the Sires rip that door from it's hinges, the alarms will sound. If I can have but an extra moment, I can
rewire this panel and improve our element of surprise."
Cyclops reluctantly moved his arm from hers, but never looked away
from the Dame. "Do it."
Wren thought she heard Demona mutter, "Stupid
Human." For once, Wren agreed.
"Wren, to me."
Demona snapped. "Can you
work your magick and aid me?"
"Of course." She
nodded. "Work away."
Demona pulled out a small silver container that looked like a
cigarette case. She opened it and
brought out some rather unusual instruments.
She carefully used them to unscrew the covering of the security
panel. She laid it aside and looked at
the wires. "Damn, it's the XA-05
model."
Wren peered around the Gargoyle's wing to watch her work. She examined four different wires carefully;
each was blue, green, red or white.
Demona's lips pursed in troubled contemplation. She pushed in several sequences on the
keypad. "I've disabled the retina
scan, the DNA match, and the voice print.
But, the final wire will disable the palm print and the motion
sensor. I don't know which to
pull. One wrong move and all the work
will be for naught."
Wren's hands began to glow.
A faint halo of verdant light danced between the wires like
lightning. It became brightest around
the white wire. Wren felt a distinct
certainty settle upon her soul. Then,
another ring of green light broke away from the first and danced along a series
of blue wires connected at the bottom.
A knowing grin spread across Demona's face and she nodded to Wren. Wren contemplated the possibility that would
be the closest thing to a 'thank-you' she'd ever receive from the Dame.
"Ah, now I see. Your
magick, if nothing else, is convenient."
Demona cut the white wire and the blue wires. She wrapped the exposed copper and fiber optic ends together and
sealed them with some sort of strange substance that exuded from one of her
tools. Within seconds, the white ooze
coagulated into some crystalline substance.
"That should do it."
"What did you do to it?" Scott leaned forward to examine the Gargoyle's handiwork.
"I simply rerouted the wiring so that the security system
thinks that all is well. It will look
at it's own internal network instead of at external stimuli and thus, we avoid
detection."
"Translated, you're saying that you re-wired it so that it's
in a loop." He surmised. "It's surveying its inner
systems."
"Essentially, yes."
"Can you get the door to open?" Wren thought she heard the subtle hint of
challenge in Cyclop's voice.
"Do Gargoyles have wings?'
She quipped as her talons flew across the keypad in a long expanse of
numbers. The door suddenly came ajar.
"How did you do that?"
"The XA-05 security system is manufactured by CyberBiotics; a
subsidiary of Xanatos Enterprises.
Nightstone Limited manufactures the components and the microchips for
this particular model. However, when
this one was created, I wasn't Xanatos' lackey. So, I was unfamiliar with the inner workings." She folded her arms and looked defiantly at
Cyclops. "Are you satisfied, or do
I need to explain its workings further to you?
Would you like me to draw you a picture?"
[Ouch, that was cold.]
Wren flinched at Demona's cutting remark.
The group quietly made their way inside the building. They made their way along the edge of the
corridor and stopped at the end of the hall.
"Goliath, Hank, and Demetrius, this is where we split. We're going to need a distraction and we
need you to get caught."
"We can not tarry long, Cyclops." Goliath said gravely. "I shall turn to stone at
daylight. The charges of the collar are
almost to their limit."
"Don't worry, Wolverine and Professor Xavier will get all
three of you out long before sunrise."
Scott firmly clasped the warrior's wrist.
"Wolverine?"
Goliath's wings flared in surprise.
"That's hardly reassuring news."
"He's ...better now."
Scott drawled. "You don't
have to fear any trouble from him. Just
keep the guards occupied until the shuttle launches."
"We will."
"Thank you for your help."
"Good luck to you."
Goliath cloaked his wings about him.
Wren turned to Demetrius.
A fit of trembling seized her body. Her stomach lurched as she realized
that she was going into space. All the
training in the Danger Room in years past did nothing to prepare her for this
moment. Jean's psychic transference of
space shuttle procedures did little to alleviate the growing terror burning
Wren's resolve to a crisp. Eyes wild with fear met Demetrius. Before words left her, he brought to ebony
talons to her lips. "I have faith
in you, Milady."
'Demetrius-"
"Remember, where you go I shall also go. Where you are, I will be. What you are, I will become." Dark talons entwined her with her
fingers. "Faith, Milady
Songbird. Remember that you have the
heart of a Wren, but the spirit of an Eagle.
You will make your clan proud.
You will make me proud."
She breathed deeply of his musk and vanilla essence. She felt empathic waves of serenity calm her
twitching nerves. The foreboding
feeling refused to vanish from her mind.
Hazel eyes remained firmly locked with the dark warrior's lavender gaze.
She rushed to his waiting arms and threw herself into his awaiting
embrace. He wrapped arms, wing and tail
around her to demonstrate the depths of his abiding conviction in his beloved
lifemate. "I promise."
"I love you, Wren Summers." He released her and his voice became much shorter. "You must go."
"See you on the other side." She quipped. "I love
you. Good luck."
"Bright blessings of Skylaris' upon you." Demetrius spoke gently in the ancient
DeMahri tongue.
Wren turned and joined the Jean, Dominique and Scott. There was an awkward silence hanging over
the group. "What's next, fearless
leader?"
"It's time to board Venture."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Jean led them through the empty corridors of Cape Canaveral. Wren half-expected alarms to blare a warning
at any moment. The silence of the halls
and the stillness of the dark caused Wren to wonder if the mission was going
far too easily. She forced herself to
focus on the objective at hand: recover
the five mutagens from Venture and return safely to the Blackbird.
According the space shuttle protocols, the crew of the Venture was
currently going through a last minute briefing about the mission. They stopped in front of the briefing room
door. Jean put her fingers to her
temples and a scarlet halo crowned her brow.
With eyes closed and head bowed, she focused her telepathic talents on
the life-signs of the crew.
"They're not here. They've
moved the launch up an hour."
Wren's stomach plunged to the floor as she looked at her
watch. The number blinked brightly at
her; 9:45PM. "They're launching in
an hour and fifteen minutes. That
means the crew is already aboard Venture.
We're too late."
"No we're not."
Demona turned to look at the young woman standing behind her. "Don't give up so easily, Young
One. We simply must fall back on our
contingency plan."
"You don't mean actually go aboard the Shuttle?" Wren squeaked. "You're nuts, Demona.
There is no way that two Gargoyles are going to get past security."
"We can with a little help from our resident
telepath." The Dame purred. "Phoenix?"
"I can disguise your appearance telepathically. That isn't
difficult." Jean agreed. "We need to suit up."
"Suit up?" Came
a gulp from Moirai. [I didn't sign on
for this!]
"Courage, my friend."
Goliath's deep voice urged her.
"Look, we don't need her on this mission. She's a liability. Leave the half-breed behind and we three can take care of the
mutagens." Demona's biting remarks
struck Wren's psyche with the force of a battle hammer.
"Shut up, Demona. I'm
going and that's final."
"So the little Wren has backbone after all."
"I have more backbone that you can possibly
handle." Wren didn't want it to
turn into a sparring match at a time so much in crisis. "Let's move."
Jean had memorized the layout of the facility. She knew exactly where the crew was getting
suited up for the launch. She led the
group through a series of twists and turns along dark corridors. Finally, the quartet made their way to one
of the locker rooms. Sounds of closing
lockers and conversation made their way through the door.
"Jean, how shall we subdue them?" Goliath asked.
"Leave that to me."
Demona pulled out her travel-size spell book. She cleared her throat as if readying herself for a reading of
dramatic prose. "All you need to
do, Phoenix, is open that door."
"Not a problem."
The Human quickly obliged.
Five crew personnel turned around in surprise when they heard the
door open. Wren looked over Demona's
shoulder and saw their startled expressions when they saw the winged succubus
standing proudly in the doorway.
"Who the hell are you?" One of the scientists
exclaimed. "You're in a restricted
area for authorized personnel. What the hell are you? I'm calling security."
"You're calling no one." The azure dame drawled sweetly.
"You're going nowhere except to sleep."
One of the scientists ran over to the communications panel on the
side wall. "Security! Security!
We have unauthorized personnel here in locker room twelve. We require immediate assistance."
With spell book in hand, Demona pointed one slender talon at the
group and recited the ancient incantation.
"DORMIO ITAQUE SOMNIO SOMNIUM PRAE DULCIS."
[I really want one of those.]
Wren smiled. The words flowed
across the room to her ears.
"Sleep and dream pleasant dreams."
Wren watched the scientist at the communications panel crumple
into a slumbering pile of space suit.
Each of the five scientists fell to the floor in a deep sleep. Demona closed the book with a resounding
snap and replaced the miniature tome in the pouch hanging from her belt. "They'll be sleeping beauties for
awhile."
The group proceeded to strip the crew of their space suits. Against Wren's judgment, the group was tied
up and put in the shower room. Goliath
couldn't get the suit over his wings and Demona chuckled at his dilemma. He turned to look at his former mate. "I suppose you wouldn't have a spell to
take care of this particular problem as well, would you?"
"Goliath, you know me.
I never come unprepared."
She sauntered over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. "HOMINUS FIERI NOX SECUNDUM."
A faint cerulean aura surrounded the massive clan leader. Wren watched as the glow enveloped his
entire being. Goliath's skin paled
until his skin seemed more ashen than lavender. It began to darken subtly in shades akin to tan and bronze. She watched the shells of his ears minimize
and become gently rounded at the tips.
His gleaming canines became blunt and even. Wings shrank from his back and vanished into nothing ness. Four distinct talons became five
fingers. Instead of an intimidating
Gargoyle looming over the group, there stood a distressed human mail trying
desperately to hold up his loincloth.
"Goliath, such modesty becomes you." Demona purred. She gave an appreciative glance at his rather falling
clothing. "However, you should be
able to fit rather nicely into the space suit now."
Demona cast the spell upon herself and a similar transformation
came over her. Wren worried that the
Dame turned human would attempt the spell upon her. Wren found much relief when she realized that by wrapping her
slender tail several times around her waist allowed her to fit nicely into the
space suit. Just then the door swung
open and two armed military police stood ready for action.
"Hey, you're not-"
They started. They didn't get a
chance to finish as Jean caught the two guards in a telepathic onslaught of
mind play. Their expressions of anger
melted away as black faces replaced them.
Their eyes became glassy as they stared mindlessly at the quartet before
them dawning the crew's spacesuits.
"There's no problem."
Jean told them slowly. "It
was the cleaning staff working after hours."
"It was the cleaning staff." The first guard replied in a monotone that reminded Wren of a
zombie from a bad sci-fi flick. She
half-expected him to grow bolts in his neck and to call Jean 'master.'
"It was the cleaning staff working after hours. It was a false alarm." She repeated in a tone reminiscent of a
parent explaining a complex concept to a small child.
"It was a false alarm."
The second guard chimed.
"Go to sleep, gentlemen." Jean gently urged them.
"Sleep...." Both
slid to the ground. One snored rather
loudly.
"I'm impressed."
Demona turned to Jean. "I didn't
realize the extent of your talents before now."
"All in a day's work."
The rest of the night remained a vague impression in Wren's memory
for the rest of her days. In a few
moments, the quartet made it from locker room to the launch pad. They boarded the space shuttle Venture. No one along the way questioned their
identities. Wren assumed that Jean
projected her telepathic shielding during the entire time.
[No one anticipated actually boarding Venture. It was considered a last resort. I can't believe we're going to commandeer the
shuttle and hijack it. What the hell am
I doing here?]
The found their way to the cockpit. Wren's heart fluttered at a wild, uneven pace even as she
strapped herself into the seat. She
never trained for this kind of scenario.
She watched Goliath as his grim expression revealed nothing of his
thoughts. Demona showed no uncertainty
as she took her seat next to Wren. Jean
seemed the most confidant of the group as she took her place in the pilot's
seat. [She's the best chance we have of
getting home.]
The ship began to rattle and hum around them. The engines of the shuttle roared to life.
The sound caused Wren to let forth a scream that was deafened by the thunderous
rumble of the thrusters. She felt the
rough and rapid acceleration force her into her seat as Venture traveled
skywards. Wren said a Hail Mary and a
prayer to every deity she knew to get her out of the situation alive.
She looked and watched Goliath's face take on a mindless grin at the
sheer thrill of entering outer space.
Demona looked at her former adversary and nodded silently in
agreement. Jean remained focused on the
control panel before her. Wren's white
hands clenched the arms of her seat.
Her blood pounded violently in her veins as the Venture ascended to the
stars. The last thing Wren remembered
was an intense vertigo overwhelming her.
Dizziness caused everything around her to spin out-of-control. Wren breathed a sigh of relief as the
welcome blackness of unconsciousness claimed her.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"Wren.... Wren..." A distant voice echoed in the
distance. The young woman fought being
brought out of the sweet oblivion that surrounded her. "Wren, wake up. You have to wake up."
Wren chose to sink deeper into the blackness that was an old
friend to her. The sharp intruding
reality was an unwelcome invader. Wren
immersed herself in the gratifying fantasies of flying with Demetrius above
Castle Ex Cathedra on Caledon Isle. She
dreamt of the heather-cover moors and rolling hills of Scotland. She felt the cool surf of the North Sea
chill her heated skin. She lost herself
in the wonderful roses and golds of a Scottish sunset.
A sharp sting struck her cheek.
[WREN, WAKE UP!]
Hazel eyes snapped open as the words abruptly assaulted her
peaceful mind. A rush of heat to her
skin followed the throbbing in her cheek.
She saw Jean hovering over her like a concerned mother. Wren's hands glowed brightly as she reached
out to the ravishing Redhead. Her
slender talons curved as her eyes blazed brightly with jade and amber
fire. The deep snarl was a feral cry of
pain and amazement [Hit me, will you?]
"Wren, stop."
Goliath's voice brought her out of her hazy fury. Wren looked down at her hands charged and
ready with the luckmagick she knew so well.
[What am I doing? I'd
never normally attack Jean.] She felt
the rage and the primal instincts quell within her. Wren recognized those feelings as those similar to Gargoyles
sixth sense when facing an unknown attacker.
"What happened?"
She looked at Jean sheepishly and hid her glowing hands behind her back.
"You fainted. Then,
once we entered the direct light of the sun, you became comatose." Phoenix brushed back a stray tendril of hair
from Wren's face. We were only able to
bring you back to consciousness once we enter the shadow between the Earth and
the moon.
"What are you saying?"
Wren asked warily not quite understanding Jean's explanation.
"Wren, when the sun's direct light hit you once we were in
space, your mind plunged into an unnatural coma. Your life signs slowed to almost nothing. It was if you were dead. It was because of Demona's quick thinking
that we were able to revive you."
Goliath smiled at the Dame next to him.
"She surmised that the direct sunlight triggered a condition in you
similar to stone sleep."
"It happens to Demetrius and I from time to time." Wren told him. "At first we thought that he was no longer susceptible to
stone sleep. We were wrong. It hits at noon and lasts usually until
3:00PM. He and I both go into a deep
slumber and neither one of us can be roused."
"Have you told Xanatos?"
"We didn't think anything of it. We thought that it was just our bodies' ways of regenerating in
this new form. Neither one of us has
the protection of stone in this form.
So, we usually take measures to insure our safety."
"This is all wonderful, but save it for the Discovery
Channel." Demona cut in on the
conversation. "We need to find the
mutagens and get this shuttle back to Earth."
They made their way back to the small laboratory found in the
middle of the shuttle. There were
various toxins and other scientific equipment in the area. Jean piloted the shuttle while the others
looked around the lab. [Think
logically, Wren. If you were storing
dangerous mutagens that could destroy the world, where would you hide them?]
She chuckled at the sheer audacity of the question. She suddenly realized the complete peril of
her situation. Quiet research department
head, Wren Summers was in Earth's outer atmosphere aboard the space shuttle,
Venture. [I'm floating in zero gravity,
I have to use the bathroom, and I'm looking for deadly substances that can wipe
out humanity and every other living creature on the planet. God, where do they put the bathroom around
here?]
The refrigerator. The
small voice of intuition whispered in the back of her mind. Hank used to conduct experiments on the
Legacy Virus in his laboratory at the Institute. [He kept the samples inactive by keeping them in a cool
environment. To keep things like
cultures and viruses dormant, they'd store them in a cold area.]
She remembered where they kept the cooler from the schematics
provided the team during their briefing by David and Scott. "Guys, find the fridge. It's a series of drawers. Look for vials, canisters, test tubes ... I
don't know. It has to be there."
Demona and Goliath began their search on one side. Wren headed directly where her instincts
guided her. She opened a silver door at
the end of the counter section and a rush of cold air blew on her face.
[Bingo.]
She carefully pulled out the top tray and found her worst fears
confirmed. There were five canisters
roughly four inches around and about the length of her forearm. Each had seals of some metal on each end but
the middle of the canister was some kind of clear glass or plastic that
revealed the contents held within. Her
heart froze as she counted a total of five canisters. Each was a different hue: murky green, dark blue, a dull
sanguine, a cloudy mauve and a mustard hue.
Wren covered her mouth as she gasped. The color of the substance that contaminated the waters of the
river in her vision was, indeed, mustard.
She remembered the remnants of the broken canister floating in the
river. Her hands trembled as she ran
her fingers along the length of the mustard canister. She felt engraving on the underside. She turned it over and unfamiliar font greeted her wide eyes.
She watched the letters
become like tadpoles in water. They
swam around in her vision and slowly reformed themselves in more familiar
script. She knew her translation powers
were working of their own accord. She recognized the letters as Greek but they
formulated themselves into her native language. She recognized each labeling on the canister. Phlegethon,
Acheron, Styx, Lethe and Cocytus.
"Guys, look for extras just in case." She called out to the others.
[Everyone, have you found what we need?] Jean's voice danced around inside her mind.
"Indeed."
Goliath spoke aloud. "Let
us return to Earth."
"I agree." Wren nodded with enthusiasm.
[Everyone return to your seats.
We're only a few minutes from re-entry.] Jean's instructions did little to calm Wren's fluttering heart.
Wren returned the canisters to their spots in the cooler. She knew they'd be safer there than in her
hands. She went to her seat and buckled
herself in firmly. She watched Jean
tense as they began their descent into Earth's upper atmosphere. [If I were meant for this, I'd be breathing
in space.]
The extreme force of the gravity pushed them back against their
seats. The possibility passed through
her mind that it would be difficult to get the shuttle past NASA's radar. The sharp angle of their descent did nothing
for the calmness of Wren's churning stomach.
The roar of the engines increased as breaking thrusters applied
themselves to slow their descent.
"Wren, do your thing.
Focus your attention around the ship." Jean exclaimed.
"My luckmagick doesn't work like that!" Wren thought Jean must be out of her
mind. "It does whatever it
pleases. I can only control the
outcome."
"Look, Cape Canaveral already has us on screen. They're hailing us and if I don't answer
soon, they're going to know that something is amiss."
"Then that should have been discussed during the
briefing." Wren's panicked mind
fought desperately to find a solution.
"Demona, dig out that wonderful spell tome of yours."
"I have no spell for such an occasion."
"What's the source of the magick? Is it in the words or within the tome?"
"Both."
"Luckily for you that the book is in your possession. Fortunate for us all that I happen to speak
Latin."
"What do you have in mind?" Demona's eyes narrowed.
"Anyone have a pen?"
"Actually, I do."
Jean answered.
When Wren saw the book in Demona's hands, she snatched it
away. "Fortune favors the prepared
mind."
She grabbed the pen from Jean and hastily began writing in the
tome.
"What are you doing?"
Demona attempted to take hold of the tome. "The Spells of Malkior are over eighteen hundred years
old."
"I'm making a few notes." Wren continued to scrawl hurriedly upon one of the blank
pages. She tossed the book back to
Demona. "Read that aloud and pray
that it works."
"I'm the linguist, you're the sorceress; that's your
department."
"Pray that this works."
Demona growled. She cleared her
throat and slowly opened the tome. Her
eyes widened at the words on the page but she read them aloud. "MEDIUM NE INCONCESSUS NE MEDIUM
HOMINIS AUT APPARATUS ANIMADVERTO NESQUE AUDIO HAEC NAVIS."
"Let eyes neither eyes nor ears see nor hear this
vessel." Goliath translated for
Jean.
"How will we know if it works?" Jean asked.
"Watch." Demona
said quietly. The golden glow from the
crimson tone burst forth like a shower of stars. The emerald halo surrounding Wren's hands danced and entwined
with the golden beams. Together, they
became an aura that outlined everything inside the ship. Goliath switched on the external view screen
and watched the halo surround the entire ship.
The shuttle gleamed brightly before the camera's eye. The bright aurora around the shuttle dimmed
and then the shuttle vanished from view.
"It is done." He
said with great satisfaction.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
EPILOGUE
Jean piloted the ship into the middle of Earth's atmosphere and
they landed without incident. The
mutagens were transported successfully to Hank's lab for further study. Wren longed to see Demetrius safely before
her. She only wanted to sleep without
dreams. Elisa Maza smiled as she
watched them return safely home. For
now, she was happy to have her feet firmly planted on the ground. They had made it to the stars (and back)
through difficulty.
TO BE CONTINUED>>>>>>>>>>>